Mangaluru: BJP functionary and MLC CT Ravi ridiculed the Congress-led govt in Karnataka, saying it was celebrating 1,000 days of 1,000 scams and problems.Addressing a press conference at the BJP office here on Saturday, Ravi questioned the govt on whether it was celebrating corruption or the state’s bankrupt exchequer. He said the govt had no moral right to celebrate 1,000 days when people in the state were in distress. He also lashed out at the Congress high command, stating that it encashed the power tussle between chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar to fund the AICC.Ravi advised the Congress leaders to resolve the power tussle before Siddaramaiah presented the next state budget.“Are they celebrating their ministers going to jail or the increase in farmer suicides? What achievements did the Congress govt make to celebrate? We see only negative news about the govt, especially the power tussle between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, in the media. While development works came to a standstill, the law and order situation saw a total collapse in the state, with the govt giving a free hand to the drug mafia,” said Ravi.Alleging corruption in SCP/TSP funds management, implementation of the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, distribution of Anna Bhagya rice, fund misappropriation in the Valmiki Corporation, and referring to the Muda scam involving chief minister Siddaramaiah, Ravi said the only achievement of the govt was taking corruption to an all-time high level in the state. “About Rs 180 crore swindled from the Valmiki Corporation is yet to be fully recovered,” he said.Increase in the price of essential commodities, a hike in electricity tariff, cess on petrol and diesel, and fees for RTC made life miserable for the common man. Many contractors in the state were in distress as the govt did not release bills to the tune of Rs 37,000 crore for the past 3 years. No major development projects were taken up in the last 1,000 days of the Congress-led govt, the MLC claimed.Criticising the govt as anti-youth, he said no emphasis was given to job creation, and even the previous BJP govt’s Kisan Samman and Raitha Vidya Nidhi schemes were discontinued. “No job recruitment took place during the past 3 years, even when lakhs of posts in govt departments remained vacant. When govt hospitals faced an acute shortage of medicines, Congress leaders heading corporations and boards were accorded cabinet ranks,” he alleged.To a query on former minister and BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj’s arrest, Ravi termed it a politically motivated action.
